Millions of women in the United States face pregnancy without access to even the most basic maternal health services. Maternity care deserts are defined as counties with no hospitals offering obstetric services, no birth centers, and no practicing obstetricians, gynecologists, or certified nurse midwives. Impacted areas have grown into a silent public health emergency in the United States.

This week, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee quietly changed its rules to exclude transgender women from competing in women’s events. The decision cites "safety" and "fairness," but the reality is far more insidious. It’s an endorsement of the same paternalistic myth we’ve fought for decades: that women are fragile things in need of guarding, rather than full participants deserving of autonomy.

I sat down with my friend, Ryan-Simone Duncan, and had a conversation about her experiences and her advocacy for reproductive rights. Through her advocacy, the accomplished, young 25-year old,  has starred in commercials and given speeches advocat

In the United States, there is an ongoing fight between state laws and federal rules when it comes to transgender health care. More than 20 states have passed laws that ban or limit gender-affirming care for transgender youth, meaning young people in those states do not have access to treatments, such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy, even when recommended by their doctor. SCOTUS upheld that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964, protects against discrimination based